The Chronicles of Rampage
by HispanicPanic22
Summary: The chapters in The Chronicles of Rampage series are broken into stories.The series is based off Capcom's Monster Hunter game, but a good deal of artistic license has been used. An all new backstory is laid out here. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1: Lost

It's been raining for three days now. Something about the rain suppresses the psychic trackers, so I can't feel my men, or the damned Rathian. It's been 46 hours since we got seperated, and the rain hasn't let up. Its not that I'm worried about WarSky and Janus, they can take care of themselves...it's just...something feels wrong. Yeah, I know. Not really what you want the newly selected Black Elite to say, but it's true. The three of us have been hunting together since we were kids, and now we're the Elites, with families of our own. Family...my wife. Nevaeh was due anyday, then we got called into this steaming jungle to track down an Ian that's been cattle snatching. Reload the rifle, adjust the earring the old man gave me, and send out one more psychic beacon...I want to go home. I want to get my friends and get the hell out of here.

My name is Akamu WarSong, and I am the 4th Generation Black Lion Elite. My Great Grandfather led the group of five Great Hunters, who after five days, drove the Black Dragon into the Volcano, and imprisoned him there, saving the people of Kokoto. The mantles of leadership have been passed down from parent to child for four generations, always after the child's 20th harvest. Janus became the Yellow Elite 2 years ago, and my brother WarSky and I became the Red and Black Elites at harvest past. The Blue Elite is a woman named Nio, titled at harvest a year ago. I don't know much about her, except that when she was very young, her father sent her to the East to train in the "status ailment" method of hunting. I should make an effort to learn more though...she and WarSky are to be wed in only a few months. And the last is my beautful Nevaeh, who will be titled as the Green Elite at the next Harvest festival. I've got to stop thinking of her and get into the clearing ahead...maybe there I'll be able to (**here**)WarSky?...it's faint, but I can hear his beacon in my head again. The rains must have stopped, because its **COME HERE **getting stronger. It's coming from...from the south. Near the caves.

Sneaking through the trees isn't the fastest way to the caves, but it'll keep me from being spotted by any roaming Ioprey packs. Elite or not, there's now way I want to take on six **COME here** or seven hungry raptors by myself. That last one was a little ragged around the edges...Please be okay, WarSky. Big Brother is coming.

Two nights ago, we were ambushed. We didn't realize then that the rain was dampening our psychics, which is how those creatures got so close so fast. Janus caught the first one in the neck with his carving knife, and after that, one of them crushed our Light Stone. I wrestled one to the ground and severed its jaws with my bare hands before I could get out of the camp...no distress beacons meant everyone had gotten away, or so I thought. It wasn't until a few hours later, when I tried to flash my location to the others, that I realized why I hadn't felt the raptors coming, or any distress calls during the fight. It would have been nice if my Father would have told us that psychic tracking malfunctions in heavy rain...would have been nice if he'd told me lots of things. **COME HERE**...**AKAMU** I have to be close now if WarSky knows its me, but where...Oh Shit. He's in the nest. It's coming from the nest.


	2. Chapter 2: Lost

My Father, Gouken, used to tell us that Lions are never afraid. He taught my brother and I that be a great warrior, you must think of nothing but the fight, and never allow fear to sneak into your heart and steal your courage. I wish you were here now, Father. I could use some of your bravery. My best friend is missing, my little brother is in the Rathian's nest, and the only one who can get him out is the guy holding his Grandfather's rifle and trying not to faint. Yeah. This hunt is going well.

* * *

**The Chronicles of Rampage: "Lost" Part 2**

**AKAMU..COME HERE. **As I get closer to the mouth of the cave, I can feel WarSky's beacon rattling in my head. He's beginning to panic, and that's only going to make things worse.** CALM DOWN. STAY. **is what I try to flash back to him, but the cloud cover in the jungle seems to be playing havoc with the psychic stones we keep inside our armor. Rifle loaded, I take a deep breath and move to the mouth of the cave, expecting for all the world to see my twin brother being torn limb from limb by a scarred and beaten Rathian. Instead...I don't see anything. The nest is totally empty. **AKAMU...HERE **Ok, so it apparently isn't totally empty, because there, curled inside a discarded Apceroth ribcage, is a bleeding WarSky.

"You sure took your sweet time getting here." he says...but the bravado is forced.

"Let me get a look at you. What the hell happened to your wrist?" I asked, since it, along with his forearm, was clearly broken.

I removed the emergency medical supplies from his pack, cleaned the cuts with Antidote leaves, and looked around for a spare bone to use as a splint while he filled me in.

After the attack at camp, WarSky ended up being chased away from the clearing and into the underbrush by the Iodrome, but once it was lured away from it's pack he was able to handle it. _("Got that bastard's crest in my backpack.") _Like me, it was a few hours before he realized he couldn't sense either me or Janus, and he set off toward the Mao River, which we had tagged as the Rathian's waterhole the day before. Because the fastest way to the river was through the undergorund caves, my little brother used the blood of the Iodrome he killed earlier to mask his scent, allowing him safe passage through the Ioprey nesting grounds and out into the streambed. Once he got out of the caves, the sky had started to clear, and he was able to pick up the Rathian nearby...and Janus in pursuit. Coming from the west, WarSky scrambled up the cliff face and into the nest, successfully surprising the Rathian from behind, and severely wounding her in the process. _("Rammed that blade over there straight into her eye. Shame she spun and snapped my wrist.") _Janus, seeing that the Ian was about to take off, tagged her with a tracking potion (young hunters call them "Paintballs", like the colored splatballs we has as kids), and told WarSky to hide inside the ribcage, and beacon until help _("Woulda been you or him, I figure.") _arrived, since he couldn't use his Dual Swords with one hand.

The best thing I could think of was also something I knew wasn't going to be comfortable. I unslung the rifle I had borrowed from Elder HellScream, and shouldered off the ammo holsters. WarSky knew what was thinking and one hand wiggled his way out of his backpack and scabbards. With the last of the medical tape, I strapped WarSky's shattered left wrist and arm to the stock of the rifle, effectively splinting the break, and rearming him at the same time. I picked up his Duals and noticed that one was sticky with dried blood...I didn't bother to clean it. Father said the blood of your enemy can lead you back for more. I dont know about that, but what I did know was that daybreak was coming. That Ian wouldnt risk flying at night with only one eye, but she'd be making a break for help at first light. If we didnt find Janus and stop that dragon from calling her mate, we wouldn't have to worry about our injuries much longer.


	3. Chapter 3: Lost

Now it's a race. We have four hours until Daylight. Four hours. Only four hours to find our missing teammate, find the Rathian's real nest site, smash her eggs, and kill her before she can make it to the next valley and bring her mate back here. Sounds like a piece of cake, right? Sure...no problem. Although I should mention that my close range expert has a broken arm, my bloodthirsty brother-in-law has gone after our target alone, our psychic tracking pendants are on the fritz, and I'm beginning to have serious doubts about whether or not I'll make it home to name my baby. All this is going through my head as WarSky and I crash through the Jungle in the general direction of Janus' beacon signal. What can I say though? Going with three men seemed like a good idea at the time.

* * *

**The Chronicles of Rampage: "Lost" Part 3**

I can't see the moon anymore. Time is slipping by too quickly. There can't be more than a few hours left. All I need to do is nod to WarSky, and he knows what we need to do. It never fails to impress me how quickly he adapts to new weapons...I'm almost positive he hast picked up a Heavy Rifle since training school, but broken arm and all, he loads and fires a PsyFlare round into the morning sky. When it detonates, there isnt a flash of light, but a burst of energy that you feel in your fingers and just behind your eyes. We only use it in emergencies, and this definetly qualifies. We've been chasing after Janus' signal for almost two hours, and havent gotten any closer, which doesnt make sense. The Rathian is hurt...she would retreat to her nesting ground to guard her clutch of eggs until she was able to see well enough to fly off and bring her mate back here. So why is Janus running around in cir**HERE**cles? Wait a second...that's Janus. But his tracker is two miles due West, near the riverbed...in the Ioprey caves? Now Im just confused. Naturally, WarSky has it all figured out already...I doubt that we're really twins sometimes.

"Janus' tracker is busted. He's using shortwaves, so he has to be close...less than fifty yards and closing."

Speaking of the Devil, down from a tree not 4 feet in front of me drops our missing Yellow Lion, Janus HellScream. I should explain how he pulled that off, though. When a child is born in Kokoto, the Village Elder, Sepheron HellScream, performs an ancient blessing ritual. The ritual is called the _"Trial of the Titans", _and once the infant has been bathed in the _"Tears of Gaia"_, the child may be blessed with the _"Titan's Breath", _a gift from the Earth that allows Hunters to do most of the superhuman things we do. The legend goes, that untold years ago, when Man was young, giant Titans roamed the Earth, and eventually waged a war against the Twelve Gods of a Faraway Land. The Gods were mighty, and the Titans were few, and so breathed some of their power into a handful of mortals, making them formidable adversaries of the wicked Wyvern Beasts created by the Twelve Gods. With the help of the changed mortals, the Titans were able to win their war, and in exchange, allowed the Warriors to keep their divine powers, and to pass them along to their children, and so always protect the Lands of Man from the Wyvern Beasts of the defeated Twelve.

The _"Titan's Breath"_ also lets us use the abilities of the Wyverns we defeat as our own, as well as activate and control the Tracking Stones with only our thoughts, among other things. Janus HellScream wears the Vambrace of a Velocidrome, enhancing his cunning, and making him able to stalk his prey from the shadows undetected. WarSky uses a Gypceros Vambrace, heightening his speed and reflexes (it's probably what allowed him to pull his arm back fast enough not to have it bitten off instead of only broken). And me? I wear the Plesioth Guard, and everything I touch, be it bullet or blade, turns to bone chilling ice. Not every child is born with the _"Titan's Breath", _though. Usually, as I said, it must be inherited from Hunter parents, but even then, not every Hunter's child is assured the Gift. The only other odd thing is...eventually, the Gift turns our hair strange colors.

"What happend to him? The Ian do that to you, Oni? Or did you trip and fall in the mud?"

It's worth mentioning that my little brother intensly dislikes to be call "Oni", as his full name is actually Onimaru WarSong. When he was titled as the new Red Lion at harvest past, he altered his name to honor our fallen mother, Gragona ClearSky, the preceding Red Lion, and she was the only one who got away with calling him "Oni". After that day, WarSky was my baby brother's new name, and he isn't shy about reminding people...especially Janus.

"Keep talking, Yellowtail. I'd like to see you slink away from a Crag grenade." Ok, now the bravado was back full force.

"Save it you two. Near as I can tell, we have about an two hours of Nightsky left, then we're sitting ducks. HellScream, tell me you know where she's sleeping. Please, tell me you found her nest."

While we make a hasty camp, Janus lays out his recon information, and his plan for getting us out of here alive. Somewhere between lighting the fire pit, and cooking the last of our steaks, it hit me. I knew how we were getting out of here.


	4. Chapter 4: Lost

Did you ever have an idea so good, it made you feel like an idiot for not having it sooner? Think of it like this...why hadn't we seen the Rathian we're tracking fly overhead, even when we know that's her fastest means of travel? Because she never left the ground. The nest on top of the cliff is too accessable to the Ioprey. She'd lose all her eggs before they ever had a chance. So what do you do when you can't hide in the clouds? You hide underground. Specifically, you use a cavern made by a natural geyser. That's how she gave us the slip...by hiding out underground while we ran around in circles above ground. Clever girl...but you didn't see Janus following you, and now we're coming. Forty minutes to Daybreak and counting. And we're coming.

* * *

**The Chronicles of Rampage: "Lost" Part 4**

Ok, I wasn't expecting this. When Janus said the Ian was sleeping in a cave about two hundred yards underground, I didn't realize he meant a two hundred yard drop into the nest. The mouth of the opening is set in the ground, but it's easily a hundred fifty feet across. Plenty of room for our girl to fly in and out without trouble. Getting down there quickly isn't a problem we can't solve...we just need to improvise. The hanging vines running along the treeline are strudy enough to support us for the climb down, and again for the climb back up, so we have to burn half an hour cutting and braiding them into three lines, two of which are about one hundred yards long, and the third about seventy five. Ten minutes left. Shit. We can't climb down there, attack, and subdue her in ten minutes, and if she catches us on the lines, we're lizard food. Think...think...you're the leader. So lead. Wait..that's it.

"Hey little bro...you want to do something stupid and dangerous?" Which is a dumb question to ask WarSky, since he'll say...

"Stupid, dangerous, and crazy? Or just stupid and dangerous?" Right on cue. And then Janus will...

"If Blacktail is suggesting it, crazy is part of the bargain. What do you have in mind, fearless one?" Eight minutes till dawn.

"We dive for the bottom. Redtail fires the Crag ahead of us...try to cripple her with it... then we land hard on her vitals. She never has a chance to fight back. And besides, I don't care if you don't like it, cause we don't have time for anything else. Throw the long ropes down, and tie the short one to WarSky. Bro, I need you to let that thing go five seconds after we pass you. Sooner or later than that, we hit at the same time, and you inherit my house."

Most Hunters I know would have rolled up their tents and politely told me to stand in front of the nearest Diablos with a red cape, but then again, the Red and Yellow Lions aren't most Hunters. Four minutes later, the ropes are thrown, WarSky is secured, and we're all standing ten yards away from the rim of the cave. Three minutes till dawn. Just enough time for a little prayer... **GO** ...and then we're running. Like a well oiled machine, we all reach the lip together, all dive off together. A headfirst dive into the dark...counting the seconds, listening to Redtail's cord unravel. Fifty yards...sixty...seventy_**..TWANG!!! **_

_**KRAKOOOOM!!! **_

The sound of the Crag being launched is deafening from this close, and it blows past Janus, then me, then we match it's speed and let Nature pull us all down. One hundred yards down...one-twenty...this was a stupid idea...one-forty...please let this work. With fifty yards to go, **NOW**, I signal Janus to draw and prep for impact. The hardest part of the dive is the "revert", where we have to turn ourselves from head first, to feet first, without losing sight of the target. My tuck is good, and I can see Yellowtail with his katana pointed down between his feet, ready to pierce and pin the Rathian's tail to the ground, immobilizing her. The iron dual blades in my hands become cool, then frigid, then begin to ice over as I activate my Plesioth Guards' _"Ice Touch" _ability. Not how I planned to do this, but the Ice Duals are so cold, that the wounds won't even bleed. Thirty yards...I can see her now...twenty yards...still on target... I close my eyes... Nevaeh...I love you.

The Crag connects, but I can't even hear it. The Rathian is screaming too loudly. I brace my wrists in time, and feel both blades rip through her scales, then sink into her skull. The dust is everywhere..I can't see anything. But I can feel her twitch once...again...then she's still. The air is clearing, but the smoldering wreck of her wing where the Crag hit is sending up oily black smoke. Janus is on his feet, and his katana is buried to the hilt between the poisonous barbs on her tail. He gives WarSky the all clear to fire the Green Smoke canister and call in our cleanup crew. Let the Felynes worry about how to get her out of here and back to town. It's all I can do to deactivate my Guard and pull the blades out. It isn't the wet sound I was expecting...but hollow, and crackling. The blades must have frozen the fluid in her skull. Janus is too busy yanking his sword out of the ground to see me kneel and close her one good eye. Poor girl. She never knew what hit her.

* * *

_**Epilogue----**_

It took the Felynes four hours and twenty paws to haul the Rathian and her eggs out of the cave and get them prepped to travel to the village. In the meantime, the medic had done a more permanent set of WarSky's wrist and forearm _("He'll be fine in two weeks, Nyaaa, if he can take it easy."_), and a messenger had arrived with news from Kokoto. My wife had given birth two nights ago...to twins. Apollo and Artemis WarSong. If I wasn't so tired, I would have collapsed.


	5. Chapter 5: Promises

**The Chronicles of Rampage: "Promises" Part 1**

There was a cold wind blowing in the forest when the stranger came along. The old, rusted rune stones didn't pay him any mind, but he was used to that sort of thing. It was why he was here. He walked deeper into the forest, heavy black heels crunching the dirt and needles underfoot, his long hood giving him a shadow for a face. On he walked, farther into the forest. The creatures in the underbrush stopped their playful calling when the stranger passed by. He smelled wrong. Not alltogether bad, as he had washed with fresh cinnamon soaps before he left the village this morning...just wrong. Like sulfer, fire, and burning things.

Past the Guild's Territory borders. _"The Guild. Hmmph." _he thought, and pressed past the decaying deadfall barricade. His heavy duster swirled about his feet when the wind picked up, and it seemed to speak to him. Call him. Beckon him. The stranger walked on..past the freshly torn carcass of an Aptenoth. He could feel the Velociprey pack watching him...looking for a moment to strike. The stranger stopped in the middle of the path...and smiled. A white Prey, boldest in the pack, strode up, slowing as it neared him, until it was only an arm's length away. With great care, the stranger raised his hands and drew down his hood. With deliberate slowness, he turned and locked stares with the beast. The animals remorseless black eyes fixated upon his own, until the stranger's eye began to glow faintly red, the familiar marking of a Hunter accessing an armor skill. After a moment longer, the Prey broke the connection...bowing low, and slinking away. It refused to call for help...or to meet the stranger's gaze again. With a mirthless chuckle, he raised his hood, and his shadowed face shimmered crimson for a moment, as the glow seeped back to the depths from which it rose.

Past more outcroppings, along the river's edge, and into the low mountains, the stranger kept a quick pace. As it was in the dense forest, the creatures of the mountain valley become hushed as the stranger passes by. There is not a repeat of the curious young Prey, as no beast dares to impede his progress into the ancient cave beyond the Valley. He follows the streambed inside the cave to the farthest wall. The darkness does not bother him...he sees as the Beasts do. _"I do many things that most do not." _he thinks with a smile, and steps into a recessed chamber inside the enormous cave. Inside, against the farthest wall, is a tall jade statue of a many armed man, and in each hand, he holds a lightning bolt as if it will be hurled upon his enemies at any moment. The stranger steps before the many armed statue, reaches into his cloak, and removes a small canvas bag. Holding it tightly, he kneels before the statue, and dips his hands into a small basin cut into the clay cave floor directly in front of him. The water in the basin does not ripple. The wind blowing in the cave picks up, howling, demanding to be heard...almost seeming to speak.

"No, Old Father. They live. The beast was unable to do much to harm to them, let alone kill them." the stranger whispers, almost soft enough to believe he was talking to himself.

He nods, then opens the canvas bag. "I have brought you her eye as proof of her failure to do your bidding, Old Father. Please, show favor upon me." With that, he drops the severed eye into the basin, and again, it does not ripple. This time however, it begins to bubble, and the wind resumes its howling.

"No, Old Father. I am prepared." the stranger whispers, and dips his left hand, then arm, into the basin. Now the water begins to ripple. The wind reaches a fever pitch, but the stranger does not seem to notice. His focus is upon the slowly increasing pain in his hand and arm...the feeling of teeth being applied with great care for pain. But the stranger did not pull away, for he was stronger than pain. The water shimmered red for a moment, before he realized it was his eye lighting up the dark cavern. With great care, he raised his stinging arm, expecting to see the twisted wreckage of where his arm used to be. But the pain was worth it, for on his arm rested a dark purple Vambrace he had never seen before. A Death's Head moth insignia was scarred into the back of the fist, but the stranger took no notice as he gathered himself to leave. "Thank you, Old Father. You will not regret this." The stranger stood to walk out, and raised his newly gained weapon into the morning's early light.

"The Guild...The Elites...The Titans themselves. With this, I shall make you all my slaves."


	6. Chapter 6: Promises

**The Chronicles of Rampage: "Promises" Part 2**

The stranger has a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it. They would be returning to the village shortly, their prize Rathian in tow. Apparently, the being he calls "Old Father" has realized that simply transferring power into a wild beast won't be enough to destroy the Elite Families, and has entrusted it instead to him. The stranger is enthralled with his abilities, and the enormous energy at his command. This is, for him, a second rebirth. The first was when he was merely a man, seeking vengeance against the "Hunter" class for shunning him, and Janus HellScream in particular, for cruelly mocking his failure to recieve the "Titan's Breath" as a child. The stranger's eye burned with purple flames, and his gauntleted fist clenched and unclenched. The forest around him faded into darkness as he let his hateful memories wash over him.

The attack that took his father had gone unavenged for more than 12 years, and the stranger could be made to wait no longer.

"Your time is coming, Janus." he whispers again. The stranger's black bootheels click and clack as he makes his way back to the deadfall barrier that marks the limits if the Guild's protection. The dark Vambrace upon his arm pulses, and clenches, seeming almost...alive. "Of course it does. Old Father entrusted you with it to finish the job the damn beasts couldn't do. And it only feels that way because I'm strong enough to harness it's FULL power. A weapon truly worthy of my greatness."

Back the direction he had come, the stranger moved toward the village. Out here, beyond the safe zone, it didn't matter what he did or how he used his powers. "In the badlands, I am King. Out here, I am the Elite." he laughed. Up ahead, near the bend in the path, was the Velociprey pack he had passed by earlier. Beneath his hood, the purple flame flourished and shone brightly. The Prey looked up as one, turned as one, and came to him, stopping only a few feet before him. The stranger raised his hand before his face, then pointed at the white velociprey.

"Go to Kokoto and stir up some trouble. I need a distraction, and the three of you will do nicely." The white prey cocked his head to the left, then the right, and barked harshly to the two other raptors. Again without meeting his gaze, the stranger watched the Prey slink off into the forest, toward the village. _"They'll be killed, but who cares. To die serving me is an honor." _he thought, resuming his hike toward town, along a smaller path to avoid crossing paths with his minions and arousing suspicion. Whistling a somber tune, the stranger tightened his fist, and the talons of the brace cut into his palm. _"I don't want to be late for the ceremony."_ he thought. _"Little Artemis would never forgive me."_


	7. Chapter 7: Blindside

**The Chronicles of Rampage: "Blindside" Part 1**

The Hunters were awakened by the Felyne wagon driver's shrill command _(Everybody off, unless your heading to BlackStone's to get turned into clothes, Nyaaa.) _Janus HellScream, Akamu WarSong, and Onimaru WarSky shuffled sleepily off the back of the transport wagon, mumbling, and slinging their gear across their backs. As usual, Pendharker Blackstone, the Shaman Crafter, needed to have the wyvern brought to him as soon after death as possible, and it had already been a two night ride back from the Ten Shao Jungle. The orders had been placed before they had departed eight days ago, and in eight days the new Vambraces and Guards would be ready. The spare parts would be distributed among the Hunters, then among the rest of the village. However, none of that mattered right now, because there was still a 1700 yard hike to the Village Gates.

The three warriors marched lazily along in silence, each consumed by his own thoughts. Akamu in particular was unusually quiet, looking for all the world like the answers to Life's problems could be found in the dirt sifting under his boots.

Janus shifted his pack to one side, and snorted. "Twins, huh? Man, you can kiss your life goodbye. I can't remember the last time I got out of the house."

"Hey Yellowtail...you were just gone for a week. You're STILL gone, as a matter of fact."

"Keep out of it, Oni. Blacktail is going through a very stressful time. No more wine, women, and song. No more midnight runs through the forest. No more weekends at the Guild, drinking till you puke."

"But he doesn't do any of that stuff now. Nevaeh has him trained. Jump doggy! Fetch doggy!"

"That's funny, especially coming from a guy who gets threatened with poison when he isnt back in time to put his pups to bed"

"Hey, that's a 'Family Bonding' thing. Nio just wants me to spend lots of time with the babies before they get big enough to talk back and stop being cute."

**-QUIET- **

Akamu's beacon immediately halts the group, pressing their backs together, watching from all angles with weapons drawn.

When Warsong finally speaks, the words hiss from between clenched teeth. "No sudden moves...something is watching us. Feels like a Prey pack, but...wrong. Use the knives...this is going to be ugly, and it's going to happen fast."

HellScream, the Seeker, is the first to locate the threat. "Six of them...three are pulling back..and getting harder to read. The others are spreading out, trying to flank us. Positions marked as my 1 o'clock, 5 o'clock, and 9 o'clock at 25 yards. Targets are closing."

WarSky, the Crippler, asseses the weaknesses. "They're going to come in slow...try to herd us together. Once they pin us back to back, they'll jump. That's our only chance. We bury the knives under their fifth rib and break for the village. The ones we don't kill will be too hurt to chase us, and we'll only have the other three to deal with. Total combat time...20 seconds give or take."

WarSong, the Warden, makes the decision. "Janus...prep a smoke bomb. Whatever these are, they aren't normal Prey. If we run, we'll lead them straight back to the village...and it won't just be these three. We drop them here, and use the smoke to make it to the tree line. Split up, and meet back 20 yards from the Barrier. When the Royal Guard brings the Seal down to let us in, I don't want any uninvited guests. _Now, do you GET me_?"

The jokes and smiles are gone from the faces of the Elites, leaving only the hard stares of battle tested warriors. Both Janus and WarSky holster their main armaments, and draw the specialized carving knives they've been using since they were six years old. When all three men are back to back, Janus throws the smoke bomb, and thick, grayish white smoke immediately rushes around their feet and up into the air, slipping between the low hanging branches. It serves a dual purpose as well, since it is treated with Mosswine blood and dirt to spread false scent trails, it prevents the beasts from tracking by smell. As the cloud races upward and outward, the Red and Yellow Elites respond together.

_"Sir! We get you, Sir!"_

WarSky is the first to break from the group, the Gypceros Vambrace speeding him towards the confused Prey only 10 yards away. The only signs of his success are a momentary splash of blood into the fog, turning it pinkish, and the wet, gurgling cry of the animal trying to warn its pack mates of the danger. Janus reaches behind him and puts his left hand on WarSong's shoulder, spreading the camouflage effect of the Velocidrome Vambrace, and as one, they sidestep toward the treeline, out of the remaining raptors' line of attack. **-GO-** At Akamu's command, both Hunters silently creep toward the bewildered pair of Prey sniffing the ground where they had stood a moment before.

Now within striking distance, the Hunters shift their weight to the balls of their feet, preparing to pounce. Janus removes his hand, exposing WarSong. **-NOW-** As the Prey catch the scent next to them, the Hunters lunge forward, sinking their knives under the rib cage, angling upward to pierce the Prey's strangely positioned heart. The animals die almost instantly, teeth only grazing the Bracers in a last, desperate attack.

**-RUN- -NOW-**

Without another word, Janus HellScream activates his Bracer, and slips off into the mist, seperating the trio again in the hopes that they will not be followed home. Akamu Warsong resheaths his blade, and starts off through the treeline in the opposite direction of Janus and WarSky. He isn't worried...his friends can take care of themselves. They only had slightly more than a mile to the Barrier, then another 100 yards to the magical Seal that kept the beasts from finding Kokoto. "One mile...just one more mile." he thought. "But that's twice that these things have gotten the drop on us in five days. Something is going on, and I need to find out what before they get lucky _again_."


End file.
